Untitled Sermon (39)

The theme for the Men March is : “ God Needs A Man To Stand In The Gap.” . (1) Let me just share from the word WHY God used Ezekiel to pen these pleading Words.. (NLT)

Ezekiel 22:23–31 LEB

And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land not cleansed; it is not rained upon in the day of indignation.’ The conspiracy of its prophets in the midst of her is like a roaring lion that is tearing prey. They devour people, and they take wealth and treasure; they make its widows numerous in the midst of her. Its priests treat my law violently, and they profane my holy objects; they do not distinguish between a holy object and what is unholy, or between the clean and the unclean. They do not teach the difference, and they hide their eyes from my Sabbaths, and so I am profaned in the midst of them. Its officials are like wolves tearing prey in its midst, to pour out blood, to destroy people, to make dishonest gain. And for them its prophets plaster whitewash; they are seeing falseness and are practicing divination for them by lying, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh,’ and Yahweh has not spoken. They severely oppress the people of the land, and they committed robbery, and they mistreated the needy and the poor, and they oppressed the alien without justice. And so I sought for them somebody, one repairing the wall and standing in the breach before me on behalf of the land not to destroy it, but I did not find anyone, and so I poured out my indignation on them. With the fire of my wrath I destroyed them; I returned their way upon their head,” declares the Lord Yahweh.

Ezekiel 22:

Ezekiel The Man and the Book

Willmington’s Bible Handbook Background

BACKGROUND

Ezekiel, a priest, was among the 10,000 Jews taken captive to Babylon along with King Jehoiachin in 597 B.C. An earlier exile, which included Daniel, had occurred in 605, and another group would be exiled in 586, when Jerusalem fell.

In about 592, the “fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity” (1:2) and six years before Jerusalem’s final doom, the Lord called Ezekiel to prophesy to the still rebellious exiles in Babylon (3:1–7). Ezekiel’s ministry in Babylon overlapped the latter part of Jeremiah’s ministry in Jerusalem; Ezekiel probably began his ministry soon after Jeremiah’s letter to the captives arrived in 593 (see exposition on Jer. 29).

Ezekiel’s ministry covered at least 22 years, from 592 to 570 (compare 1:2 and 29:17). His recorded prophecies come from two distinct periods of his ministry:

• From 592 B.C. till about 585 B.C., shortly after Jerusalem’s fall, he prophesied concerning that event (1–24), God’s judgment on other nations (25–32), and God’s future plans for Israel (33–39).

• Then, after several years of silence, he again prophesied concerning God’s plans for Israel (40–48). While Ezekiel, like Isaiah, had in view both the restoration of 538 and the final great return during the Millennium, he focused primarily on the Millennium.

AUTHOR

See Background. The book claims Ezekiel as its author (1:1–3). It is written from a priestly point of view, which fits Ezekiel. Nearly 90 times in the book, the Lord addresses Ezekiel as “son of man” (see exposition on Dan. 7:9–14).

DATE

See Background and Unique Features. The date and circumstance of compilation of Ezekiel’s prophecies is unknown.

LOCATION

Ezekiel apparently lived in his own private dwelling among the exiles in a place called Tel-abib, by the Kebar River, about 50 miles south of Babylon (1:1; 3:15, 24).

PURPOSE

To explain to the captive Jews in Babylon:

• that their captivity and the destruction of their homeland had resulted from their rebellion against God and their lack of true holiness

• that God, in his mercy, intended to restore them to true holiness; they would be a new and holy people, living in a new and holy city and worshiping in a new and holy Temple

UNIQUE FEATURES

• Ezekiel employs more visions, visual-aid attention grabbers (like shaving the head), and word pictures than any other OT writer. He tells six parables (15; 16; 17:1–21; 17:22–24; 19:1–9; 23).

• Like Haggai, he gives precise dates for his prophecies, underscoring their historical accuracy. Except for the “thirtieth year” noted in 1:1, these dates are calculated from the exile of Ezekiel and Jehoiachin in 597. (Using 586 as the date of Jerusalem’s fall, a date of 597 for Ezekiel’s exile can be calculated from the information

Describes the Sins of Israel’s leaders

Ezekiel the Book

Purpose

Author

Original Audience

Setting

People

Places

HOW do you become the Man God is looking for to stand in the Gap so He does not have to destroy the land?

Romans 10:

Romans 10:9–10 LEB

that if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation.

Old Testament Survey Conclusion

CONCLUSION

Ezekiel’s messages informed and encouraged the exiles of his day. They answered many “why” questions. Why did Jerusalem fall? It fell because the nation committed religious, sexual, and societal sin. Why should the exiles retain faith in Yahweh? Because God still loves them and plans a bright future for them. Ezekiel teaches that God holds Israel responsible for their sins, yet He is also present with them wherever they go. Ezekiel stresses the future to people with a dismal present. In short, he prophesies to a nation of dry bones that they can live again as a restored people.8